My, How Things Have Changed
by dbell99
Summary: This will be a collection of short stories. Post 9.18. Will follow the show's canon for a while but then branch off into it's own A/U. Disclaimer: All characters belong to ABC/Shonda Rhimes. The story is mine.
1. Chapter One: Changes

"You were awesome," Arizona informed her wife as they walked hand in hand down the hallway of the hospital towards the elevators.

Callie snorted, "I'm not sure awesome is the word I'd use. Nervous, emotional, distracted; those are good words though." She was still in a daze from the TED speech; shocked at Webber for arranging it and at her wife for not telling her. She punched the down button at the elevator doors.

"Distracted?" Arizona questioned.

"Yes, distracted," Callie replied. "You standing there, watching me," Callie explained, "and picturing you in a lot less clothing," her thoughts drifted to the previous day and she squeezed Arizona's hand. "Yeah, that didn't help."

Arizona giggled as the elevators doors opened and they stepped in. It wasn't long before they opened again and they walked out towards the daycare. Callie noticed Arizona's slower pace and she adjusted her gait to match. Callie opened the door to the daycare and Sofia immediately looked over and clapped her hands, smiling at her parents. She stood up and toddled over to them, stopping at Arizona and tugging at her pants. Callie scooped her up and handed her to Arizona.

"Well, hi baby girl," Arizona cooed as Sofia wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

"Someone looks tired," Callie commented. She went to Sofia's cubby and picked up her bag and jacket. "Let's get you home."

Arizona handed Sofia to Callie, as Sofia struggled to return to Arizona. A moment of sadness rushed through Arizona's head and once again she cursed the prosthetic. She took a deep breath and the three of them left.

Arriving home, Arizona threw herself on the couch, trying to take the pressure off her leg, while Callie whipped together a quick pasta supper. Sofia's mostly ended up on the floor and in her hair, and after a quick bath and a snuggle with Arizona, Sofia settled down for the night.

"Poor kid was exhausted," Callie stated as she flopped down on the couch next to the blonde. Arizona only faintly smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"We have had a pretty crappy couple of years, haven't we?" Arizona asked her eyes full of sadness.

"We've had some crappy things happen to us, yes," Callie replied. "But I wouldn't go as far to say that the past two years have been horrible. We got married, remember?"

Arizona smiled, "of course I remember." She rested her head on Callie's shoulder. "I just meant that we've been through a lot of not so good stuff. Too much."

Callie agreed. Between the car accident, Sofia's birth, and her recovery alone would have been enough for them to have to deal with. Adding in the stress of her mother's dismissal of her and Arizona, and then the horrific plane crash, Callie felt as though the universe was playing a sick joke on them. "Maybe you're right too, you know, about selling this place and Mark's. Maybe it's time we don't have a constant reminder of what we've lost. "

Arizona said nothing, and just shifted closer to her wife. She struggled with the prosthetic as she tried to pull her legs up onto the couch. Callie stiffened, hoping that it wouldn't mean a blow up from Arizona. She knew her wife was tired and sore and although she was adjusting to the newer prosthetic, it still gave her some trouble.

"Why don't we go watch a movie in bed?" Callie suggested. "We can talk about this serious stuff another time."

Once again, Arizona was quiet, but pulled herself up off the couch and limped towards their bedroom. Callie waited a few minutes before following, allowing her wife the time she needed to prepare for bed. Arizona was in bed by the time Callie brushed her teeth and slid between the sheets.

"I only want to move if you do," Arizona finally said, after several moments of silence. "I know I brought it up, but it has to be something we both want." She paused and grasped her wife's hand. "I miss Mark too. And the constant reminder every day of him being gone is making it hard to move on." Arizona dreaded coming home to see Mark's apartment door. She expected him to be coming out or to hear his voice from the other side. Her own injury was enough of a reminder, but there were moments when she'd return home from work and wasn't consciously thinking of her leg, until she saw Mark's door, and it all came rushing back.

"I do want to," Callie assured her. "I'm ready to take that step."

Arizona rolled onto her side facing in towards her wife and Callie wiggled down off her pillow and put her back towards Arizona, moving as close as she could to her.

"We'll be okay," Arizona whispered as she draped her arm over Callie's middle. "I know I don't always act like we will be, but I know we will be."


	2. Chapter Two: Time To Let Go

Callie stood outside Mark's door, key in hand, hesitating before she put the key in the lock and opened the door. A wave of mustiness hit her; the apartment hadn't been opened in months. Neither she nor Arizona had wanted to go in lately. After Mark's death and once Arizona had come home, Callie spent a lot of time there, mourning the loss of not only her daughter's father and her best friend, but of her wife as well. Despite Arizona's being quite alive and just across the hallway, Callie felt that she was lost and far beyond her reach.

The last few months had been better; their relationship was now closer to what it was before the plane crash. The tried not to dwell on the past as much, and Mark's apartment was the past. Callie had cleaned out the fridge and freezer, emptied the cupboards of food and neither she nor Arizona had stepped foot in the apartment since.

Now though, with the decision to sell both Mark's and their apartment, the women knew they had to return and get things organized. Arizona had dropped Sofia off with Meredith and then gone into work for the day. Callie had the day off and she had decided that today was the day to get things in order.

She walked into the apartment, shutting the door behind her. She flicked on the lights and she felt her heart rise to her throat, her stomach drop. She could still smell Mark, she still saw him on the couch in her mind. It took her several moments before she was able to walk through the living room and into the kitchen. She stood, holding the counter top for support, as a wave of memories came crashing down upon her.

How many nights did her and Mark sit at Joe's and share a drink, to vent, to just be there with each other? Sure, there was sex involve a bit, well, a lot. But above all they were friends. Best friends. She missed him, and even more, she missed that their daughter would be growing up never knowing her father.

Callie took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom. She diligently worked on packing away each item of clothing, sorting through the insane amount of clothing Mark had owned. She took all the pictures he had on his dressers, most of them were of Sofia, a few of him and Callie, a handful of the four of them, him, Callie, Arizona and Sofia. Callie treasured those the most; as they were something she would be able to show Sofia as she got older.

A knock at the door interrupted Callie's thoughts. She ignored it at first; no one was expected. The knocking persisted though and finally Callie stood up and went to the door.

"Derek?" she said, surprised.

"Arizona said I'd find you here," he stated. "I thought you might be able to use some help."

Callie opened the door wider and invited him inside. Derek walked in and looked around, then exhaled loudly.

"Harder than I thought," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I sort of expect to see him on the couch or coming out of his room."

Callie nodded, "I know what you mean. It took me a good ten minutes before I could even unlock the damned door and come in."

There were a few moments of silence, and then Callie took Derek's hand. "Let's get to work."


	3. Chapter Three: Another First

As Callie approached the door to the apartment, she heard music from inside. She paused, listening at the door, and then taking a step back to double check that she had the right apartment. Upon realizing that she was indeed in front of her own front door, she slipped her key in the lock and slowly pushed open the door.

It was rare to see Arizona in the kitchen, especially with Sofia. Both had aprons on, both had a wooden spoon in hand, and as Arizona belted out the words, Sofia was banging her spoon against the counter. The two year olds face was covered in what appeared to be chocolate and flour and Arizona had a smudge of flour on her forehead, with more covering the counter. Neither had seen Callie enter the apartment, and she relished the glimpse of her wife and daughter's antics.

As the song ended, Callie tossed her keys onto the small table, making enough noise to alert the duo to her presence. Sofia hollered "Mama!" and tried to slide off the chair she was standing on, in an attempt to make a mad dash for her mother. Arizona was quick though, and managed to grab her by the apron before she took the mess of flour out of the kitchen.

"Mama!" Sofia cried as Arizona tried to brush flour off her and wash her face and hands. "I want Mama!"

"Ok, ok," Arizona conceded, and let Sofia go. Callie reached down and picked her up, grinning as Sofia snuggled against her.

"What have you two been up to?" Callie asked as Sofia now squirmed to get back down. She dropped the toddler onto the ground and continued into the kitchen.

"Umm, we were baking," Arizona replied.

Callie glanced around the kitchen. Besides the flour covering most of the kitchen countertops, sugar had been spilled next to the mixer, eggshells littered the sink and chocolate chips were scattered everywhere. She pulled her wife into her arms and wiped the smudge of flour off the blonde's forehead. "Baking, huh?"

"Uh huh," Arizona smirked. "We thought you might like some cookies."

"Cookies!" Sofia copied. She ran towards the oven and peered inside. "Cookies done?"

"Oh!" Arizona exclaimed as she shooed both her wife and daughter away from the oven. She opened the door and pulled out a slightly burnt batch of cookies. "Oh no!"

"They're fine," Callie assured her, watching as her wife lifted the first one off the sheet. "We can just scrape the bottoms a bit."

Arizona sighed, "I've never been good with baking. I thought that maybe now that I had a kid I'd be better at it."

Callie picked one of the cookies up and bit into it. "They're perfect, thank you."

"Me too," Sofia piped up, reaching towards the cooling cookies.

"Hang on there," Callie said as she broke a piece off of hers and handed it to the two year old. "And after that, I think someone needs a bath." She left Sofia with Arizona and headed to the bathroom. She started the water and returned to the kitchen, scooped up the toddler and carried her through the master bedroom and into the bathroom. Arizona followed, limping slightly and threw herself down on their bed.

"So, what else did you two do today?" Callie asked as she stood in the doorway to the bedroom as she watched Sofia in the tub.

"We went to the park and did some grocery shopping," Arizona recounted. "Then Sofia took a wonderful three hour nap while I worked on de-cluttering this place a bit. Then she woke up and we decided to start on our baking; until we realized that we didn't have any chocolate chips, which meant another trip to the store."

"You must be sore," Callie stated.

"A bit." She pulled herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. "No more than I am after a day at work. I'll be okay. How was your day?" She asked as she changed the subject. Despite her and Callie's gradual return to normal, she was still less than thrilled about talking about her leg, or lack thereof.

"It was good. Less surgeries, more paperwork, but I got caught up on stuff I needed to. Sometimes it isn't too bad to have a lighter day." She turned her attention to Sofia, washing the stickiness of cookie dough out of her hair and rinsing her off. She pulled the plug, and wrapped the toddler up in a towel and brought her into the bedroom. "Let's go get you into some pj's, okay?"

"Mommy," Sofia whined, clearly wanting Arizona instead of Callie.

"Okay baby girl," Arizona said as she struggled to stand up. "Let's go get your pj's on." She held out her arms and Callie handed her Sofia. Not so long ago she would have hesitated, worried that Arizona might stumble while carrying her, but now she did so without any hesitation. If Arizona didn't think she could do it, she almost always told Callie now, something that Callie was grateful for.

She watched as her wife and daughter headed into the child's room, and she listened at how easily Arizona managed to get Sofia into her diaper and pajamas, without the slightest fuss. Their parenting styles were vastly different at times, and there were times when Sofia tested their patience as parents. A few minutes later, Arizona returned to the bedroom, Sofia walking next to her, and the little girl reached up, asking to be picked up by Callie.

"Say goodnight to Mama," Arizona said.

"'Night Mama," the two year old quipped. Callie gave her a squeeze and a kiss then handed her to Arizona.

"Good night sweetheart," Callie said. "I love you."

As her wife and daughter retired to the nursery, Callie went into the kitchen. With the return of Arizona as a full time parent once again, their lives had gotten monumentally better. They had adjusted to being a family of just two parents and a child; and it was difficult at first. Sure, the first several months after Mark died had been truly horrific, and their family dynamic had been so unstable and so messed up that Callie hadn't been sure if it would ever return to any semblance of normality. Arizona's refusal to pull herself out of her depression had worn on Callie, to the point where she wasn't sure what she was going to do. She had promised she'd never leave her wife, and she wouldn't, but it had got to the point where she wasn't sure how much more she could take of being a single parent.

As Callie tidied the kitchen she realized just how far they had come in the last two years. Arizona had stated not too long ago that they had a pretty crappy couple of years, and there was no denying it. Even prior to that, things hadn't been all that smooth. Arizona not wanting children was the start of it; or at least the biggest obstacle at the beginning. The shooting brought them back together; Arizona admitting that she wanted Callie and if that meant children then she'd be happy to have them with her. The damned Carter-Madison Grant almost tore them apart for good; it still irked Callie that Arizona had left her at that airport. She supposed though that a small piece of Arizona would always be angry with Callie over the leg.

And then there was Mark. He'd always been there for her, even if it was just for sex. But their relationship was always more than that; they had been best friends, through thick and thin. She had been shocked about the pregnancy, and even more so when both Mark and Arizona pledged to stay. It had been awkward, learning the ins and outs of the relationship they shared, and looking back, Callie knew she hadn't been completely fair with Arizona. How they every got past it confused even Callie at times.

The accident that nearly took both her and Sofia's lives was by far one of the worst times in their short relationship. Not a day went by that she didn't regret the series of decisions that resulted in the near fatal crash. Had she just been less focused on Mark and more on her girlfriend, the chances of the accident even happening were far less. But it had happened, and she couldn't imagine what Arizona had gone through. No, wait, yes she did. She had gone through her own personal hell as she waited for four days; four days until she even knew if her wife was alive.

But the accident was more than just Arizona worrying about Callie and the baby. It was her dealing with Mark blaming her; the entire hospital, other than Alex, practically ignoring her while they worked on saving Callie and the baby. Callie knew firsthand how a head injury could go from good to bad in minutes, and she was appalled to learn that Arizona hadn't been looked after immediately after arriving at the hospital, and that it took Karev to finally convince her to let him take a look at her.

Callie knew that Arizona hadn't left her side throughout those dark days when they weren't sure if she was going to survive. She knew from what her friends told her afterwards, that Arizona slept in a chair next to Callie's bed, grasping her hand, never leaving for more than a few minutes. She had outright refused to leave, despite the Chief's and Bailey's urgings. Her and Mark had finally reconciled, and once Callie and Sofia came home, everyone did their best to get along and to make their form of parenting work.

Things had been going quite well too; once Mark understood that there had to be limits and that it wasn't some sort of weird threesome that they had embarked on. He toned down his visits and made sure that for the most part he was polite and gave them their space to be as a married couple.

She finished cleaning the utter disaster that her wife and daughter had made in the kitchen, and poured two glasses of wine. She set them on the coffee table and threw in a movie while she waited for Arizona to get Sofia to sleep. It was only a few minutes later that her wife came out of the bedroom and collapsed on the couch. Callie handed her a glass of wine and leaned over and kissed her.

"She's asleep," Arizona stated. "She kept babbling about cookies and flour and it took her forever to settle down. And of course I couldn't sit in the rocking chair and listen to her, no. She insisted I stand next to the crib and listen. Finally I told her that mama needed to go to bed too and that she had to sleep. And she did."

Callie smiled, "you're amazing, do you know that?"

Arizona felt her face heat up, "no, you are."

"Well then, we're both amazing," Callie pulled her wife's legs up onto her lap, Arizona involuntarily flinching as she did it. Since the day in the x-ray room, Callie had been braver about touching the prosthetic and leg, and Arizona was slowly adjusting to it. She slowly tugged at Arizona's yoga pants, her wife flinching at first but then allowing Callie to continue. With the pants gone, Callie quickly removed the prosthetic before Arizona could protest, a slight gasp coming from her wife's lips as she did. Callie began a gentle massage, and felt Arizona relax as she did. It almost brought tears to Callie's eyes; she had waited so long for her wife to trust her enough again to allow her to do this.

Arizona closed her eyes and put her head back as her wife continued to massage her leg. She hadn't realized how sore she was until now. She groaned and slithered further down into the cushions as Callie switched to her good leg.

"Your hands are magical," Arizona stated.

Callie smiled, "Refill?" she asked, motioning to Arizona's empty glass.

"I shouldn't. I have to work in the morning." There was a pause and then she added, "but I wouldn't say no to a bubble bath with my amazing wife."

Callie practically leapt off the couch and into the washroom. She started the water and returned to Arizona who hadn't moved. She leaned over and kissed her wife, and then was caught off guard when Arizona pulled her on top of her. The kiss turned into two, then three, each getting gradually less PG and more NC17. Finally, Callie reluctantly pulled away from the blonde, despite her protests.

"The water, the bathroom will flood. And I doubt Mr. Henry downstairs would take too kindly to a leaky ceiling." She retreated to the washroom and turned off the water. She lit several candles, turned the lights off and before she had even removed one piece of clothing, Arizona was behind her.

"Whoa," Callie exclaimed, spinning around. How Arizona managed to get from the couch to the washroom on crutches, without making a sound, was beyond Callie's comprehension. "Did you want to get in first? I can wait in the bedroom."

"Would you mind?" Arizona asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

Callie kissed her and shook her head, "of course not. I'll be back in a few minutes. I think I need a refill. Be right back."

Callie closed the door and Arizona quickly shrugged out of her clothes. Still feeling awkward in front of her wife, it bothered her that she was, but she didn't know what to do to change it. She knew things were better, much better than in the past, and she was happy enough at the moment with how things were. It would just take time, and both Callie and Arizona were okay with that. Both had agreed that so long as there was forward momentum, they were fine.

She slipped into the steaming tub, letting the bubbles cover her. She felt her entire body begin to relax, the smell of cherry and vanilla filling her nose. A soft knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts and as her wife entered the room she couldn't help her mouth from dropping open. The sight of Callie's naked form never ceased to amaze her.

Blushing, Callie climbed into the tub behind her wife, wrapping her arms around her as Arizona lay back against her. The feeling of her wife's body against her made her smile; there had been such few times of intimacy in the past while, and now, as they shared this moment, Callie felt a sense of normality once again.


	4. Chapter Four: Sick

Callie sat at the nurses' station, holding her head up with her hands as she attempted to finish the last of her paperwork. It wasn't going well; her eyes kept trying to close, her head bobbed and not even the double espresso she had just a half hour earlier was working. Her wife, on the other hand, practically skipped over to her and threw herself up and onto the desk in one fluid motion.

"You are way too perky to have been working for the last eleven hours," Callie stated as she stifled a yawn.

"I'm just excited," Arizona replied. "In less than an hour we'll both be off for two entire days. Two days, might I add, that our darling little two year old will be hanging out with her Uncle Derek and Aunt Meredith while we're off." Two weeks prior, Callie and Arizona watched Zola for the weekend while Meredith and Derek spent time alone. Without a third parent to share the load, Callie and Arizona were thankful for their friends.

Callie swallowed, taking note of the dull pain as she did. "I'm excited too, but at the moment, all I'm excited for is to sleep." She yawned again, wincing as she did. Her pager went off and she groaned. She had hoped to spend the last hour of her shift doing as little as possible. She tidied up her case files and stood up, swaying slightly as she did, unnoticed by her wife. "I've gotta run. I'll wait for you in the lounge and we can head home together, okay?"

The blonde smiled and nodded, pecking Callie on the cheek as she darted off towards the ER. Once out of sight, the brunette slowed her pace, the exhaustion taking over. She knew the signs that her body was throwing her way; if she didn't get some rest very soon, her body would give her no choice but to rest.

An hour and a half later, Callie met Arizona in the lounge, as planned. She plastered on as genuine a smile as she could, took her wife's hand and they headed back to the apartment together. Arizona chatted the entire walk home, as Callie struggled to remain upright and focused entirely on putting one foot in front of the other. Upon successfully arriving home, Arizona hopped in the shower while Callie insisted on going straight to bed. There was no argument from the blonde; her wife *did* look exhausted, and she hoped she would sleep.

Twenty minutes later, Arizona slipped between the sheets and curled up next to Callie. She was met with a wave of heat emanating off her wife. A hand to the brunette's forehead confirmed her fears.

"Callie, you're burning up," Arizona stated as her wife half opened her eyes. Unable to sleep, feeling feverish and quite sick, Callie had been unable to drag herself to the kitchen to find something to reduce her temperature.

"Just need to sleep," Callie muttered, pushing Arizona's hand off her head.

Arizona reached for her crutches and found her way to the kitchen. She returned to the bedroom with aspirin and water, and it took every bit of coaxing to get Callie to sit up and take them. Half gagging as she did, Callie returned to her side now shivering.

"Can I do anything?" Arizona asked quietly. It was rare to see her wife ill, but she knew that when she was, it was disastrous.

Callie shook her head. "Just sleep," she murmured, and soon she was fast asleep.

Arizona sighed as she rolled away from her wife. She turned on the small reading lamp above her side of the bed and grabbed a book off her nightstand. She didn't last long; she felt her head bobbing as she struggled to maintain her place on the page and soon the book fell from her hands and she too was asleep.

It was still dark when Arizona was woken by the sound of her wife shuffling around the bedroom. The night stand lamp was still on and Arizona was met with a sight. Callie, sitting on the edge of the bed, pale and shivering, her eyes red.

"Hey," Arizona said softly. "Oh no, you're really sick." She looked at the clock; just over four hours had passed since she had fallen asleep. She scooted over to where Callie sat and put her hand to her wife's forehead. Once again she was met with heat. She quickly strapped on her prosthetic and made her way from the bedroom into the washroom, where she found the thermometer and coaxed Callie into opening her mouth.

"A hundred and three, ouch," Arizona stated as she helped Callie back to a laying position and pulled the covers up around her. "I'm going to get you some more aspirin." With no reply from Callie, Arizona quickly went back to the washroom and grabbed the aspirin and a glass of water. She watched with sympathy as Callie tried to swallow the pills, once again gagging as she did. "Sore throat, huh?"

Callie only nodded as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. It seemed ridiculous to her; she was a badass surgeon who couldn't handle a sore throat. Arizona wrapped her arms around her, brushing the loose hair from off her face. The act of swallowing had become almost unbearable, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She lay back against the pillows once again, shivering and miserable, and it wasn't long before she was asleep.

It was close to lunch time when Arizona woke again. Callie wasn't in bed, and after putting on her prosthetic and robe, she ventured out to the living room in search of her. Callie was curled up on the couch, her head resting on the armrest, still looking quite sick.

"Hey," Arizona said softly. "Can I make you a tea?"

Callie shook her head. The simple act of swallowing was now impossible. She knew that if she could manage some aspirin then she'd at least be able to possibly swallow some tea or water, but even the thought of having to swallow anything almost made her nauseated. She stood up slowly and went into the washroom where she spit into the sink.

"I can't swallow," Callie said slowly, the pain making it almost impossible to speak. "It hurt yesterday but nothing like this."

"Open your mouth," Arizona stated. Callie complied and a moment later cringed and closed it. Arizona said nothing but slightly lifted up the front of Callie's t-shirt, exposing her stomach and a red rash covering it.

"You've got strep," Arizona stated as she followed her wife back to the living room. The sore throat with a fever and no other symptoms was enough to convince her, but the rash closed the case for her. "Let's get you over to the hospital and we'll get some antibiotics. You'll feel better in a day or two once we do."

Too miserable to argue, Callie dragged herself into the washroom and started the shower. She emerged ten minutes later, dressed and returned to the living room where Arizona was waiting. Her hands and stomach itched now and her throat was worse. She slipped on her shoes and her jacket and followed her wife out of the building.

Arizona led Callie through the staff entrance and then into the ER, tucking her away in a corner and pulling the curtain shut behind them. She insisted that Callie sit on the cot, which she did without any argument. Arizona had never seen Callie like this. Even with chicken pox her wife was adamant that she was okay.

"I'll be right back with someone to swab your throat and get you something to help with the pain. I won't be long."

Callie nodded and curled herself up into a ball on the cot, pulling the light sheet over top of her. She knew better than to argue with Arizona. Callie was too miserable to argue to start with, and her wife wouldn't take no for an answer, especially when she knew how badly Callie felt. The curtain opened not long after and Miranda Bailey appeared, with Arizona right behind her.

"You look like crap Torres," Bailey exclaimed.

Callie managed a smirk which quickly turned into a grimace. Arizona took her hand and squeezed it gently.

Bailey busied herself with taking Callie's temperature and blood pressure, and performed a quick exam. A throat swab was taken and Bailey even went as far as to give her an injection of pain medication while they waited for the results. Just under a half hour later, Bailey returned with a few pieces of paper and handed them to Arizona.

"You were right, it is strep. Antibiotics, antihistamine and a mouthwash," she stated. "You know the drill Robbins. If the fever continues and there's no improvement in 48 hours, get her back here. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the pain and lots of liquids and rest."

"Thank you Bailey. And thanks for being quick about this. I know you're busy." Arizona took the prescriptions and pocketed them. Bailey left and Arizona helped Callie off the cot. "Come on, let's get you home."

Once back at the apartment, Arizona made sure that Callie was in bed and comfortable before running to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled. Upon her return just over an hour later, she found her wife in bed and thankfully asleep; the painkiller administered at the hospital had finally allowed her to get some much needed rest.

Arizona left Callie's prescriptions on the night table and lowered herself as quietly as she could onto the bed. It wasn't long before she was also asleep.


	5. Chapter Five: Happiness

Callie walked down the hall towards the on call room on the fourth floor, having received one of her wife's pages. Callie hoped that Arizona was okay; she had been working for four days straight and had even remained at the hospital the previous night because she finished so late that it would have been ridiculous to come home for the few hours of sleep she would have got.

She opened the door and found the blonde laying on the small bed, hand over her eyes. Callie slipped in quietly and placed a gentle kiss upon her wife's lips. Arizona's eyes remained closed as she returned the kiss.

"How did you know it was me and not some random nurse, hmm?" Callie joked as Arizona opened her eyes and sat up.

"Lucky guess?" Arizona giggled as she kissed her wife once again.

"I missed you last night," Callie said.

"I missed you too. I slept maybe two hours, tops." She looked at her watch and sighed. "Just ten hours to go."

"And then we'll have tomorrow off together."

"Mmm, I can't wait. I have something I want to talk about."

Callie raised her eyebrows, "oh?"

"Nothing bad!" Arizona squeaked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I meant I just don't want to talk about it here."

"Oh, okay," Callie said, her mind reeling at what Arizona could possibly want to talk about. Things had been going great between them for the last few weeks.

"Oh stop Calliope," Arizona chided. "I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears." Her pager went off and she sighed. "I have to go, but I'll see you soon. Maybe we can grab lunch." She kissed her wife and left.

The remainder of the day passed too slowly for Callie's liking. Arizona had been stuck in a surgery for lunch and Callie ended up going down to the daycare and hanging out with Sofia for her break. The end of her shift arrived and she went to get Sofia, only to discover that her wife had beat her to it.

"There's your mama!" Arizona cooed as she held Sofia's hand and they walked towards Callie. The two year old pulled away from Arizona and toddled towards her mother. Callie scooped her up and they continued to walk towards the exit.

Upon their arrival at home, the both busied themselves with preparing a quick dinner, bathing Sofia and getting her to bed. Arizona poured a healthy glass of wine for both her and Callie and handed a glass to her wife as she sat next to her on the couch.

"So," Callie began, "what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Arizona took a sip of her wine and set her glass down on the end table. "Have you been thinking about that all day?"

"Umm, sort of," Callie replied. "I will admit you got my attention."

"I've been thinking about babies," Arizona blurted. The speech she had prepared in her head for this moment was long forgotten.

"Babies?" Callie asked, cocking her head to the side. "In what respect?"

"You know, babies. As in us trying to have another."

Callie's eyes grew wide, her mouth dropping open slightly. Words that she had hoped to hear but were almost positive they'd never be uttered. Callie stared at her wife in awe. "Really?"

Arizona giggled, "yes Calliope, really. To be honest, it's all I've been thinking of since Sofia turned two." Arizona didn't want Sofia to grow up as an only child, and she knew that Callie didn't either. She also didn't want there to be a huge gap in age between their children, and with the understanding that IVF could take some time, she had begun thinking that they should try sooner than later.

Callie had been thinking about it too, but with everything that had happened, and her and Arizona's home life *just* starting to get back on track, she had pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Now hearing that the idea was on the table made her heart soar.

"I take it by the goofy grin on your face that you're happy about that idea," Arizona said.

"Happy? I'm ecstatic Arizona."

"There's something else too," Arizona said and Callie looked at her quizzically. "I mean, I'm not sure I'd be able to carry a baby to term, or at least not comfortably. The added weight to my leg..." she trailed off. She took a deep breath and continued. "But I'd be interested in finding out *if* I would be able to, and be able to continue to walk and work and all that."

"I'm willing to do whatever you would want to do," Callie stated. "And that would include carrying another baby if you or we decided that."

Arizona smiled, "well, then it's settled." There would still be lots to talk about, but just knowing that they were now on the same page was good enough for her.


	6. Chapter Six: Decisions

With the idea of another baby now on the table, and Mark's apartment now totally cleared out and already on the market, Callie and Arizona switched gears and began to prepare their own nook for sale. It wasn't as easy as either thought; as they packed away things that weren't necessary to keep out, both were emotional. They had lived in this apartment for only a few years, but in those few years so much had happened. Everywhere Callie looked there were reminders of good times and bad, and as much as she wanted to be out of there and move on, a part of her wanted to stay forever and hang on to the memories.

Sofia didn't know what to make of things. It broke Callie's heart every time they returned to the apartment and if Sofia looked at Mark's door she would say "dada". Watching real estate agents go in and out of the apartment, Callie knew that even when it was sold and new people moved in, it would still be difficult, and perhaps even more so. She knew deep down that the best thing for everyone was to move on, and it was time. With thoughts of another baby added to their family, the small apartment would be cramped soon enough.

Arizona hadn't forgotten about another baby. She reminded Callie of it almost weekly, by means of little comments or remarks, or wanting to talk about the logistics of it. Both agreed that an anonymous donor was the way to go, but nothing had been determined in terms of who would carry the baby. Arizona surprised Callie by researching pregnancy after an amputation, and shocked her even more by wanting to talk about her findings one evening.

"I spoke to David this afternoon," Arizona began, referencing her prosthetist. Sofia had been asleep for a half hour and Callie had just finished tidying up the kitchen. Arizona had poured them a glass of wine and both had retired to the living room.

"Oh?" Callie said. "About what?" she asked carefully. Despite their return to relative normality, Arizona was still prone to outbursts and bad days, and Callie tried her best to judge her wife's mood before giving her opinion some days.

"About the possibility of me getting pregnant." Arizona stated, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What did he say?"

"He explained a lot. I mean, I've read tons but he brought up a few things I hadn't considered. Like for instance, I knew that the water retention could pose a problem with my socket fitting properly and he agreed. He did say though that he would make a new socket that would fit as I retained water. He also said that cramping and phantom pain could get a lot worse, which I wasn't thrilled to hear. And that sleeping and laying down could get difficult as the pregnancy progressed. He also mentioned that once the baby got to a certain size it would be near impossible for me to get my leg on and off on my own."

Callie knew that was the one thing that Arizona was most concerned about; her independence. There was almost nothing Arizona couldn't do on her own now. She had been faithfully continuing with physical therapy and had learned to do so much by herself, and now, someone telling her that some of those things wouldn't be possible while pregnant bothered her. To Callie it made no difference; Arizona did so much for her during her pregnancy that it wouldn't even be an issue for Callie to help. But things were different and she wasn't sure how her wife would react to any amount of help, especially when it came to her prosthetic.

"So, there's a bit more to think about," Arizona said after a brief pause. "I've been thinking of alternatives as well," she continued. "If it seems less likely that I'll be able to carry a baby, what would you think of you carrying a baby for me?"

It took Callie a moment to understand what Arizona was saying. "You mean, as a surrogate of sorts?"

Her wife bit her lower lip and nodded. "My egg, a donor sperm and you carrying it."

"I'd be honoured, of course I would!" Callie exclaimed, picturing a blonde haired, blue eyed toddler running around.

Arizona smiled and rested her head on Callie's shoulder. She felt at ease now, knowing that there would still be a way of her being a part of a baby's life, regardless of if she could carry it or not. She felt Callie run her fingers through her hair and her entire body relaxed.

Callie could hardly contain her excitement. Thoughts of a baby with Arizona's dimples made her heart melt. She loved the fact that Sofia took after her, but there had been times when she had wished that Mark's genes had come through more, so it wasn't so blatantly obvious that Arizona wasn't the birth mother. "We'd have to choose a donor who matched you almost perfectly," Callie offered. "Imagine a little blonde haired, blue eyed munchkin."

Arizona laughed, "with our luck it would come out with red hair and green eyes because the donor's grandmother was Irish."

"Are we really thinking of doing this?" Callie asked in awe.

Arizona nodded, "we are. " Although no decisions had been made, Arizona felt at ease.


	7. Chapter Seven: Awesome Moments

"Oh my god Arizona," Callie complained as she practically crawled to the bathroom and emptied her stomach into the toilet. "How is it that every day this gets worse?"

Arizona expertly tied her wife's hair back in a loose ponytail, and placed a cool cloth on the back of her neck. "I know, it's been really bad this time."

"It wasn't like this with Sofia," Callie whined.

"Every pregnancy is different," Arizona offered, cringing at the knowledge that her comment might earn her Callie's wrath. To her surprise, Callie only weakly nodded and pulled her head out of the toilet, resting it against the bathtub.

"It's different, that's for sure," Callie stated, a slight smile forming on her pale face.

Arizona agreed. Unlike her wife's first pregnancy, this baby wasn't biologically her own. Arizona's egg and a donor sperm had been artificially inseminated and they had been thrilled when it took on the first try. Unfortunately, the morning sickness began almost immediately, and Callie had informed the blonde that she knew she was pregnant even before they took a test. Now at just eight weeks into the pregnancy, the nausea was only getting worse.

"You think you can make it back into bed?" Arizona asked.

Callie nodded and slowly stood up. Her wife led her back to their bed where Callie managed to sit on the edge for all of thirty seconds before she sprinted back to the washroom. Arizona sighed and followed, repeating the cycle several more times before Callie finally got in the shower.

Anything cooked for breakfast was completely out of the question for Callie, as Arizona had discovered very early on. Callie's enhanced sense of smell also nixed anything cooked for Arizona, and already the blonde was missing warm breakfasts. Callie's current choice of morning food consisted of dry Rice Krispies eaten only with a plastic spoon. The cereal was negotiable depending on Callie's mood, and a substitution could be made, but the spoon was not. Arizona set the table, placing the milk next to her own bowl.

"You're wonderful," the brunette exclaimed as she kissed her wife and sat down at the breakfast nook. Sofia sat in her high chair, using a spool to shovel Cheerios into her mouth. Callie smiled at their daughter and her thoughts drifted to months from now when there would be another tiny human with them. She wondered what Sofia would think of the baby. She hoped that any jealousy would be short lived.

Breakfast was quick and it wasn't long before the three of them were out the door. After dropping Sofia off at daycare, the two surgeons went their separate ways, promising to try to meet up for lunch.

A twelve car collision brought chaos to the ER pit, and Callie got stuck in the middle of it. Adding to that was a call from daycare stating that it was their turn to bring snack and it had been forgotten. Bailey had saved the day, pulling two boxes of Goldfish crackers from who knows where, and delivering them to daycare. Lunch came and went; Callie's returning nausea plaguing her throughout the first surgery she was called into. The short break she had between surgeries consisted of inhaling a chicken salad that Arizona was thoughtful enough to leave in the attending's fridge for her and a ten minute lie down. Her final surgery ran long and it was after seven before she arrived home. Arizona had already fed, bathed and put Sofia down for the night and was curled up on the couch with her laptop.

"I'm sorry," Callie began as she threw herself on the couch next to her wife. "I just couldn't get out of there."

"Shh," Arizona told her. "It doesn't matter. You're here now."

"How are we going to manage with two?" Callie asked. "I mean, we can barely handle one."

"What on earth are you talking about? We handle one just fine."

"Not always. I mean, we forget about snacks and trips and appointments..."

"It was one appointment," the blonde reminded her wife, "one that we had made months and months in advance and we just had a lapse."

"What about when she gets older and is in school? What happens when we forget that it's picture day and she goes to school wearing something hideous?"

Arizona just stared at her wife. Pregnancy hormones were running rampant and she chose her words carefully. "We are awesome parents. And even awesome parents have not-so-good moments. Moments where they forget the daycare snack. Or let their kids wear a yellow tank top with white, paint covered capris and purple with pink polka-dotted knee socks to school for picture day. Those are little things, in the big picture. Little things that we'll remember for years to come and that will make those moments awesome too."

Callie sighed, knowing that Arizona was right. They were made for one another. Each could ground the other with a few words or even a look. She let out a small laugh, realizing how silly she had sounded.

"My parents still have that picture of me you know," Arizona stated. Callie looked perplexed and her wife continued. "That outfit I described, that was what I chose to wear for my second grade picture day. And to top it off, I somehow managed to get out of the house with my hair a tangled mess. I covered it with a bandana that I had taken off for the picture. I looked like an orphan. My mother nearly had a bird when she got the pictures back. But she bought them and she gave them out to every single family member. She never let me live that one down."

Callie made a mental note to ask her mother in law about the picture the next time she spoke to her. She curled up next to Arizona as the fatigue began to hit her. Thoughts of a blonde haired, blue eyed baby filled her head, and she couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Old Apartment

**A/N: I wanted to say a quick thank you to all who have commented and/or followed this story. I began writing these chapters as part of Camp NaNoWriMo in April. But life became too busy, as it tends to, and I never completed my goal. I have a list of ideas for upcoming chapters, and if there's anything you'd like to see, feel free to message me! :)**

**As I wrote this chapter, the song "The Old Apartment" by The Barenaked Ladies was on replay in my head, hence the name of the chapter. :)**

"Well, that's the last one!" Callie exclaimed as the movers took the last load of boxes out of the apartment. She looked around the almost empty apartment. Arizona stood at the window, looking out at the rain as it pelted against the glass. Without even seeing her face, Callie knew that Arizona was either crying or on the brink of crying. She had been emotional all day, ever since the moment the movers arrived. Callie walked over to where her wife was and wrapped her arms around her, which made Arizona sob harder. "Hey, come on," Callie tried, nuzzling her face in the softness of her wife's neck.

Arizona sniffed and sighed, "I'm sorry, I just can't help it."

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Callie tried. She pulled her wife from the window, turning her in to face Callie, but kept her arms wrapped tightly around her. She felt Arizona's body relax as she held her close, or as close as she could with her seventh month pregnant stomach.

"Everything," Arizona replied vaguely. Another sigh, "I mean, this place, it holds so many memories."

This wasn't the first time Arizona had mentioned this. Ever since the apartment sold, Arizona had been having these moments of sadness. She had only mentioned a few of them to her wife, not wanting Callie to think she'd completely lost her mind. It was only an apartment. She had so much to be grateful for that it seemed utterly ridiculous to her that she was so upset about leaving.

"It does," Callie agreed. She wished she could take away all the bad memories and replace them with good ones. They both had seen their fair share of rotten luck and horrible things happening to them. But as Callie continued to tell her wife time and time again, they also had plenty of good memories to hold onto as well.

Arizona smiled as she felt Callie's baby bump on her own stomach. Callie had never made it this far with Sofia and Arizona was taking no chances this time around. The guilt was still overwhelming at times; regardless of how many times Callie reminded her that it was her own fault she took off her seatbelt. To this day, Arizona played it safe, pulling the car over countless times if Sofia dropped something or needed her or Callie as they drove.

"We're going to have lots of time to make new memories," Callie reminded Arizona. As if to prove a point, the baby kicked and Arizona laughed out loud. "See? Even peanut is telling you that things will be okay."

Another smile and Arizona wiped the tears from her eyes. It was so hard to put her feelings into words. The apartment, it was where so much happened. It was the source of so many happy and not so happy memories, but every one of them was part of their story. Arizona had spent countless nights recounting some of those memories, working herself into an almost panic attack sometimes.

Callie too had those moments. The worst had been when the new owners had moved into Mark's old apartment. A moment of finality had ensued; Mark was gone. Even though she knew he was, having a key to his apartment and being able to come and go as she pleased sometimes made it difficult for her to believe he was really gone.

"I know things will be okay, I really do," Arizona told her wife. "We have a beautiful house now, with a backyard, a gorgeous daughter and a baby on the way. Things are going to be awesome. It's just that letting go of this place means letting go of the past."

"We'll always have the memories, the good and the bad," Callie reminded her. "This place is just wood, brick, tiles, paint and carpet. The memories are in our heads, in the pictures we took and the videos we have. When we leave here and we walk into our new house, all our memories are coming with us. They aren't being left behind here."

Arizona knew that Callie was right. She nodded and kissed her wife. "I know that. I'm just being silly."

"Not silly. You're just being you. And I love you for it." Callie picked up her purse and keys and held her hand out for Arizona. "Now what do you say about heading over to that new house of ours and kicking everyone out of it and allowing me to show you how much I love you?"

Arizona laughed and smacked Callie playfully on the arm. "We should probably let the movers at least finish putting the bed upstairs."

Callie agreed, "thank goodness Sofia is spending the night with Derek and Mere." She squeezed her wife's hand, "let's go."

Both took a deep breath as they stood at the door of apartment 502. With a final glance around, Arizona crossed over the threshold and into the hallway, followed right behind by Callie. They walked slowly towards the elevator, stealing a final glance at both theirs and Mark's old doors, and then stepped into the elevator without a word.


	9. Chapter Nine: Almost Time

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**CHAPTER 9**

Callie sat at her desk in her office, feet propped up, trying to get comfortable as she plugged away at her research. Comfort, Callie huffed to herself, was no small feat, considering she was the size of small whale. No, scratch that, the size of a very large whale. Now in her final week of pregnancy, Callie was almost positive she couldn't possibly get any bigger. But day after day that theory proved wrong and the orthopedic surgeon became more miserable. Surgeries hadn't been possible in weeks; not only did her expanding belly tend to get in the way but being on her feet for more than an hour at a time was proving to be difficult. She was kept busy though with consults and research, but was already itching to get back into the OR.

"Come on peanut," Callie pleaded with her unborn child. "I don't care what your Mommy says about you staying in there for as long as you can. It's time to come out now."

"I heard that," Callie heard her wife say. She turned her head and offered a meek smile at the blonde, who was standing in the door way. "Peanut is just fine where she is for this moment. Stop giving her ideas." Despite neither of them knowing the sex of the baby, Arizona was positive that it was a girl.

"Thirty-nine and a half weeks Arizona. I think it's safe to say that peanut is allowed to come anytime now."

Arizona almost laughed at the pitiful look on her wife's face, but thought better of it and bit the inside of her cheek. "You are breathtaking, do you know that?" the blonde stated instead.

Callie looked at her as though she'd grown a second head. "Hello? I feel like a beached whale. I'm lucky if I can manage to get out of bed without a crowbar these days." She shifted her position once again and then pushed herself away from the desk and stood up. "I don't even have ankles anymore Arizona. I think peanut needs to be evicted."

"You are beautiful," Arizona insisted as she captured Callie's bottom lip between her teeth and pulled her close into a passionate kiss. "I think what you need is some dinner and a warm, relaxing bath."

"And not to be pregnant anymore," Callie added. "But for the moment, I'll take that dinner and bath." She closed her laptop and slipped it onto its case. Arizona grabbed it off the desk before Callie could and took her wife's hand.

They walked down the hall towards the elevators, Callie walking far slower than she had been all day. Her lower back had begun to ache hours earlier and now was accompanied an all-over exhaustion that made her wish it was already bedtime.

They picked Sofia up from the hospital daycare then drove the fifteen minutes to their home. It was days like this that they both missed their quick walk across the street to the old apartment. But as they pulled into the driveway and their daughter squealed at the sight of the Christmas lights, both were content with their decision.

With Christmas just days away, the house was, for lack of a better word, Christmas-fied. Arizona had gone completely overboard this year, and Sofia loved it. Callie wasn't so impressed; she had begun the nesting phase of pregnancy and was overwhelmed by the clutter. The only thing that kept the brunette from ripping down the garland, tinsel and lights was the fact that her two favourite people in the world would be heartbroken if she did.

"Tree?" Sofia asked, wanting the lights turned on the massive Christmas tree, the moment they walked in the door.

"Of course we can turn the lights on the tree!" Arizona exclaimed, practically flying across the room and flicking on a light switch that was connected to the tree. The tree lit up the room and Sofia clapped her hands in delight. "Did you want to help Mommy cook some dinner?"

Callie gave her wife a silent thank you as Sofia scampered into the kitchen and she sank into the cushions on the couch. Arizona kissed her and handed her a blanket then followed the toddler. Callie closed her eyes and listened happily as Arizona and Sofia worked on dinner together. She must have drifted off, as the feeling of soft little hands on her cheek woke her.

"Mama?" Sofia said as Callie opened her eyes and smiled. "Dinner time!"

It took Callie several minutes before she managed to roll herself off the couch and stand up, taking her daughter's hand in hers. Walking to the kitchen brought on a new type of pain and Callie inhaled sharply, stopping in her tracks. It was gone as quick as it came on and she continued along with Sofia.

Arizona had just placed a bowl of pasta on the table as they entered the kitchen. A smell from the oven indicated that the garlic bread she was attempting to broil was burning and she turned around in a hurry and opened the oven, letting the smoke pour out and moments later the smoke alarm went off. Sofia covered her ears, otherwise unfazed by the sound and Callie suppressed a giggle as she watched her wife frantically grab a tea towel and wave it at the smoke alarm. As the smoke dissipated the alarm stopped and Sofia clapped her hands.

"Why do I have a feeling that this has happened before?" Callie asked as Arizona placed Sofia into her booster seat and pushed her into the table.

"Maybe," Arizona replied, dishing out a bowl to their daughter and then sitting next to her wife.

Callie smiled, and then jumped at the pain once again.

Arizona raised her eyebrows, "contraction?"

"Umm, I think it might be," Callie said.

"How far apart are they?"

"I'm not sure. The last one was when Sofia came to get me for supper, and that was what, ten, fifteen minutes ago?"

Arizona glanced at the kitchen clock, "let me know when the next one comes."

Callie nodded, her excitement building, knowing that this could very well be the onset of labour. Not just the annoying Braxton Hicks contractions that had been plaguing her for weeks. She helped herself to a dish of pasta and began to eat. Arizona tried to follow suit, but kept stealing glances between Callie and the clock. She got up and took the stopwatch out of the kitchen drawer to be ready for the next contraction.

"I'll tell you, I promise," Callie assured her, "just eat!"

"Should I call my parents? I mean, it would still take them some time to get here, but they could be on their way."

Callie shook her head, "let's just wait and see how far apart they are, okay? If it's a false alarm and we get them on a plane..."

"And if it's not a false alarm and we don't..."

"We don't want them there for the birth Arizona, so waiting a little while won't hurt, okay?"

Arizona nodded, "okay. Sorry. I'm just excited."

Callie smiled, "I know you are. I am too."

"Sofia excited too!" Sofia piped up, not wanting to be left out.

"Oh are you?" Arizona giggled, "well, let's get some of that pasta into your belly, okay?"

The three of them ate; all the while Arizona kept a watchful eye on her wife. As Callie visibly grimaced, Arizona clicked the stopwatch and waited while Callie relaxed again. "That was around fourteen minutes. The next one will be more accurate."

Callie was amused at how seriously Arizona was taking all this. They had both missed out on everything with Sofia, and now both were like first time parents in the labour department. Callie managed to finish most of her pasta and got up from the table to put her dishes in the sink.

"I think I'm going to start a bath for our little pasta monster over here," Callie said. "Could you bring her up in a few minutes?"

"Take the stopwatch," Arizona insisted, and Callie did, if only to humour her wife. Even if this was it, and not a false alarm, the contractions were far enough apart not to warrant any worry. "And call me if you need me for anything."

Callie looped the stopwatch around her neck and kissed Arizona. "You're adorable." With that, she headed upstairs.

It didn't take long for Sofia to finish her supper, take a bath and get into bed. Callie insisted on reading to her, relishing what could very well be their last night alone as a family of three. With her contractions now closer to ten minutes apart, both women knew that it was the real thing, and it would only be a matter of time before the baby would be born.

With Sofia asleep, Arizona ran Callie a bath in the master bathroom. The large Jacuzzi was big enough for both of them, although as of late, Callie was more comfortable in it on her own. Arizona instead let her wife soak on her own while she packed a bag for not only Callie but also for herself and Sofia. She called her parents, after Callie agreed, and they were on their way to the airport and would be there as soon as they could. For now, when it was time to head to the hospital, Sofia would come with them and stay in the daycare centre if it was during the day, otherwise their sitter would come to the house and wait until the Robbins' arrived. Callie stayed in the tub until the water was almost cold, then dragged herself out and into the bedroom where she found her wife waiting for her.

"Better?" Arizona asked as the brunette slipped between the sheets and turned onto her side. Arizona wiggled in behind her and draped her arm over Callie's stomach.

"Mmm, yeah," Callie murmured. "Contractions are less intense now; I wonder if we misjudged and this is just a false alarm."

"They're at ten minutes now though. They're gradually getting closer. I don't think it's a false alarm. Your body's just relaxed from the bath so they don't feel so strong right now. Try to sleep a bit, okay?"

Callie didn't need to be told twice. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of babies and Christmas.


	10. Chapter 10: And Baby Makes Four

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**CHAPTER 10**

"She's perfect, isn't she?"

Arizona cradled their newborn in her arms, her eyes filled with happy tears. She tore them away from the baby and turned to her wife. "She is Calliope, she's absolutely perfect."

Callie sighed happily, her eyes heavy with fatigue, but she struggled to keep them open. The look of absolute joy on the blonde's face filled her with more happiness than she ever thought she could feel. Twenty-six hours of labour had taken its toll on her and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would succumb to sleep.

The first eight hours of labour hadn't been too bad; in fact, Callie had managed to have a bath and even sleep for a full six hours before she woke to her water breaking. Just before six in the morning, she, Arizona and Sofia had gone to the hospital and were shocked to discover that Callie was already five centimeters dilated. Callie had managed to keep her reaction to the contractions under control while Sofia waited with them; Arizona could see right through her and wondered in awe how her wife maintained her sense of humour and her wits when she was in such obvious pain and discomfort. It was only after Arizona's parents had arrived and took charge of Sofia that Callie broke down.

"Oh my God," Callie moaned, her face contorted in pain.

Arizona cringed and squeezed the brunette's hand, "I'm right here, just breathe."

"I'm trying," Callie barked then softened her tone, "I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help."

"It's okay," Arizona assured her. It was a year and a half since the plane crash and Arizona still felt guilty for the amount of negativity she had held against her wife. She recalled all the times that she had yelled and screamed at her for no reason except the fact that Callie was there and an easy target.

The hours had passed slowly and Callie had refused any pain medication. Arizona supported her decision and felt it was best for both Callie and the baby to have the most natural birth as possible, but there were times that Arizona had wanted to convince her otherwise.

When the time came to push, Callie was utterly exhausted. It had taken everything she had to make it to this point and Arizona herself was beyond tired. Her leg had been aching for hours but she had refused to remove the prosthetic. She managed to keep off her feet for a long time, sitting next to Callie and just encouraging her as much as she could.

Both of their pain had been forgotten when they heard the cry of a baby and it was placed on Callie's chest. Neither had cared if it was a girl or boy; all they cared was that it was healthy and that Callie was okay. A nurse informed them that they had a daughter and both had burst into tears of joy. The knowledge that Sofia now had a little sister made them overjoyed.

"You should sleep," Arizona said, kissing her wife gently while holding tightly to their newborn. The nurses and doctors had finally gone on their way, leaving them alone.

"You should too," Callie stated. "You've been awake as long as I have, and you were at work way, way earlier than I was yesterday."

"Two days ago," Arizona corrected her.

"Oh, yeah, I sort of lost track of everything."

"You were busy. I'll forgive you."

Callie smiled and closed her eyes. "You can put her in her bassinet you know. And you can go home and sleep. I'll be okay here."

Arizona shook her head. She kissed the tiny bundle in her arms then held her out for Callie to do the same. She then placed her gently in the bassinet and tucked the blankets around her. The blonde crossed the room and propped a pillow up on the small cot in the corner. "I'm staying right here. Just sleep, okay?"

Callie finally nodded, and shifted positions to get comfortable. She watched as Arizona curled up on the cot, and then glanced next to her at the sleeping baby, completely enthralled. Sofia had a baby sister. Their family of three was now four, and Callie hoped that one day might be five or six. Or perhaps this was perfect and they would choose to leave their family complete, as is. Callie felt her eyes close and thoughts of her daughters lulled her to sleep.


	11. Chapter Eleven: New Reality

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**CHAPTER 11**

"Mama?"

Callie cracked open an eye, discovering her three year old perched next to the bed, her face just inches away from her mother's. Callie opened her other eye and smiled at the little girl.

"How long have you been standing there Sof?"

Sofia giggled, "I watching you sleep."

Callie laughed and reached over and tickled Sofia's belly. "You are so much like your Mommy it's kind of scary."

"I not scary," Sofia stated, "I Sofia."

"Yes you are. Did you want to come snuggle with Mama for a bit?"

Sofia shook her head. "Hungry!"

"Where's Mommy?" Callie felt as though she had just fallen asleep mere minutes ago. Their new addition, their bundle of joy, was far from full of joy; she only seemed to be happy while being held and walked around.

"With the baby," Sofia replied with a sigh. "She cries too much."

Callie pulled Sofia up and onto the bed with her and snuggled her close, "oh sweetheart, I know things are different with Maia here now, but she won't cry like this forever. She's still brand new; she's only two days old!"

Callie had pushed to be released from the hospital just hours after the birth of Maia Alexandra Robbin Torres, after having spent far enough time hospitalized after the birth of Sofia. Arizona had wholeheartedly agreed and now, on the dawn of Christmas Eve, Callie had been home for almost two days now. And it seemed as though baby Maia had been crying for almost all of that time.

"Come on Sof, let's go get some breakfast and see if Mommy needs some help with Maia."

Sofia hopped off the bed and Callie slowly followed her. After a trip to the washroom and a search for her slippers, the two went downstairs together. The sight that met her eyes made her melt.

Arizona was on the rocking chair in the living room, their newborn perched on her shoulder and actually asleep. The blonde was rocking, keeping a steady pace, her head resting gently next to the baby's. Her eyes were closed but her left hand was patting the tiny bundle gently, in time with the rocking. She heard the stairs creak as Callie and Sofia came down and her eyes slowly opened and she made a "shhh" face and pointed to herself then to the stairs. Mother and daughter bypassed the living room entirely and instead crept into the kitchen while Arizona headed up the stairs slowly, as not to wake the sleeping baby.

Fifteen minutes later, Sofia was off in the main floor play room and Arizona came into the kitchen, a baby monitor in hand. She threw herself into a chair and swiped a piece of Callie's toast.

"She's asleep?" Callie asked in amazement.

Arizona nodded. "Let's just hope she stays asleep for more than a half an hour. Did you sleep?"

"I did, thank you for getting up with her." Arizona had gotten up each and every time the baby had woken, changed her and handed her to Callie to nurse before putting her back to bed.

"You did all the hard work," the blonde reminded her wife. "Now at least I can make myself more useful."

"You've been plenty useful," Callie stated. She lowered her voice, "without you there wouldn't have been a Christmas. I was in no shape to hit the mall for gifts."

If there was one thing that Arizona prided herself on, it was being prepared, especially for the Christmas season. Gifts had started to be purchased months prior; there was no mad rush a few days before Christmas. Everything had been wrapped and hidden, right down to the stockings, including one for baby Maia as well.

Arizona stifled a yawn and stood up. "I'm going to try to get a bit of sleep before my parents arrive. Will you be okay with both when Maia wakes?"

"I will. Just go sleep. I'll wake you if I need help."

Much to Callie's surprise, Maia slept for over two hours, by far the longest stretch she'd slept since bringing her home. She and Sofia had whipped up a batch of shortbread cookies, and kept the preschooler happy by giving her full reign of the sprinkles. By the time Maia awoke the kitchen floor had a layer of red and green sugar covering it and Callie had lost track of how many cookies Sofia had eaten.

Somehow, Callie lured Sofia away from the cookies and managed to retrieve a very wet and hungry baby from her bassinet without waking Arizona. A quick diaper and outfit change quieted her down somewhat, and once she began to feed the house was quiet once again. Callie turned on the television, not feeling at all guilty for using it to keep her three year old content and settled back as Maia continued to nurse. Maia finished eating and Callie somehow managed to get her into the bassinet in the living room while Sofia dozed on the couch. Callie took advantage of the unexpected peace and quiet, curled up across from Sofia and soon nodded off as well.

A faint knocking woke Callie from her slumber and she sleepily rubbed her face as she delicately sat up on the couch as not to wake Sofia. The knocking continued and she stood up to investigate. Arizona was nowhere in sight; most likely still sleeping soundly upstairs. She went to the front door and glanced through the peephole to discover her in-laws standing on the front porch, their arms full of bags and boxes.

"I'm so sorry!" Callie exclaimed as she opened the door and relieved her mother-in-law of several gift bags she was carrying. "I fell asleep."

"There's nothing to be sorry about Callie," Barbara Robbins said as she dropped her bags in the hallway and took her bags back from Callie. She embraced her daughter-in-law in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"It's good seeing you again too." Callie turned to her father-in-law who surprised her by engulfing her in a hug as well. "I'm glad you two are here."

"Where's Arizona?" Barbara asked.

"Hopefully still asleep," Callie replied. "She was up practically all night with Maia." As if on cue, Callie heard a soft cry from the living room. "Looks like you'll get to meet her now." The trio went into the living room and found not only Maia awake but Sofia as well.

"Grandma!" Sofia exclaimed, hopping off the couch and tearing past Callie, straight to her grandmother's embrace.

"There's my big girl!" Barbara said. "I missed you so much! And you grew!"

"I'm three," Sofia informed her.

Daniel laughed and knelt down, "How about Grandpa? Do I get a hug too?"

Sofia tore herself away from Barbara and launched herself into Daniel's arms, squeezing him tightly. "It's Christmas Eve. Santa comes tonight!" Sofia giggled excitedly.

"Santa?" Daniel said, "He's coming  
here?"

Sofia nodded her head enthusiastically. "Mama and Mommy said I've been good so Santa is coming."

"Oh, I see," Daniel said. Sofia untangled herself from him and ran over to Callie, hugging her legs. Daniel stood up and sat himself down on the couch. Before he knew it, Sofia was back and snuggled up next to him.

Callie had picked up Maia and had handed her to Barbara, who was now busy cooing and grinning from ear to ear. Callie took advantage of it and went into the kitchen and turned the kettle on for tea. Barbara followed with Maia.

"She's perfect," Barbara said as Callie sat down across from her at the table. "She looks exactly like Arizona when she was a newborn."

"Arizona said the same thing when she saw her."

"What did I say?" Arizona asked sleepily from the entrance of the kitchen.

"Oh, did we wake you?" Barbara asked.

Arizona shook her head, "no, not at all. At least I don't think you did." She was using her crutches now, and she headed over to the coffee maker. She measured coffee and water and turned it on, then sat down with her mother and Callie. "I don't remember being this exhausted with Sofia when we brought her home." Her thoughts drifted back three years, when not only Sofia was discharged from the hospital but also her wife. Memories of Mark filled her head and her breath caught in her throat. She stood up suddenly and busied herself getting cups from the cupboard hoping to hide her emotions.

"Well you can catch up on your sleep for the next week," Barbara filled in the awkward silence. "Because unless this little girl is eating I doubt Daniel or I will be very willing to let her go. I'm going to go sit with Daniel and Sofia for a bit. You two just relax. I'll come get you if she gets hungry."

"She should be ready in about an hour or so." Callie called as Barbara left the kitchen. Once she was gone, she approached her wife, who was still at the counter, her back turned to Callie. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona and pulled her towards her. Arizona's crutches fell to the side. "Hey, why the tears? I'm the one who should be crying with all these crazy hormones."

Arizona sniffed and took a deep breath as she composed herself. "You know, usually I'm okay. I don't think about him as much as I used to when we lived in our apartment. It's just now and then that something triggers all sorts of memories and I get overwhelmed."

Callie nodded and held Arizona closer. "I know. When I look at Sofia sometimes, she just gets this look that is totally Mark and I feel the same way as you do. I try to remember all the good stuff though and try not to focus on the bad stuff."

"I know. I've tried too. The bad stuff just pushes its way through the good stuff though. The bad stuff is closer and fresher than the good."

Callie sighed. There was no way she would ever know or be able to completely understand how her wife felt. She hadn't been on the plane. She had no idea what had happened during those days as they had waited to be rescued. Arizona never spoke of the woods, never let Callie into those memories.

Callie kissed Arizona then released her from her grasp. She picked up the crutches and handed them back to her wife. "Let's go upstairs for a bit, okay? I just want to lay with you."

Arizona nodded and followed Callie. She wished that Callie knew what had happened in the woods. She didn't want to talk about it, but she wanted her to know. She had tried to write her a letter telling her what they had gone through, but she ripped it up before she was even a quarter of the way through. None of the survivors spoke of those days. Callie had never asked, nor had anyone else, but there was an unspoken rule that if anyone did, that they wouldn't say anything. But now, Arizona felt as though she needed to tell Callie, she just didn't know how. Maybe now she would be able to find the courage to sit down with her and explain it. Maybe.


	12. Chapter 12: Merry Christmas

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**A/N: **This will be a collection of short stories. Post 9.18. Will follow the show's canon for a while but then branch off into it's own A/U.

**CHAPTER 12**

"He came! Santa came!"

Callie groaned and covered her head with her pillow, knowing that she had just seconds before she would be assaulted by not just one but two of her family members. As if on cue, the pillow was ripped from her hands, the blankets pulled off and one small toddler and her Mommy were on top of her. Callie felt a pair of warm hands on her face and she opened her eyes to find Sofia grinning from ear to ear and practically hovering in excitement. Her wife sat next to her, dimples on full display, as giddy as their daughter.

"Santa?" Callie asked, "No, I think you're mistaken. There's nobody here who was on Santa's list, was there?"

"Mama!" Sofia exclaimed, "Santa came! There are presents under the tree."

"Really?" Callie said with a grin.

"Yes Mama, really. I show you." Sofia tugged on her mother's hand, trying to pull her off the bed.

Arizona leaned over and kissed her wife, "Merry Christmas."

Callie returned the kiss, "Mmm, Merry Christmas." Still not quite awake, Callie suddenly bolted up in bed. "The baby!"

"She's fine, your Mom has her downstairs feeding her the bottle you pumped last night." Arizona informed her as Callie looked visibly relieved. "Now come on, time to get up." Arizona had been up for over an hour already, before the rest of the family. She had scooped Maia from her bassinet and sat with her in front of the Christmas tree, enjoying the peace and quiet, knowing that shortly the house would be loud and crazy.

Arizona got off the bed, only after tugging the blankets off of Callie, who had rolled back onto her side and had pulled the blankets up. Callie sighed and sat up, rubbing her face, trying to shake the sleepiness off. Sofia was literally bouncing up and down, making Callie dizzy just watching her.

"Ok, ok, I'm up," she said with a smile. "Just give Mama a few minutes and I'll be down and we can open presents."

"Yay!" Sofia shrieked. She bolted from the bedroom and down the stairs. Arizona kissed her wife once again.

"Ten minutes," she warned the brunette. "If you're not downstairs by then I'm coming back up and there will be no mercy."

"Is this what I have to look forward to for the next several years?"

"Yup. It's Christmas!" her blue eyes sparkled with excitement and Callie laughed.

"You're cute," she said as she got out of bed. "I'll be right down, don't worry."

Less than ten minutes later, the entire family was settled in the living room around the tree. Baby Maia was asleep cuddled up in Daniel's arms, Barbara had made a pot of coffee which the four adults were enjoying, and Sofia was perched on her grandmother's lap. Arizona gave Sofia the go ahead to open her gifts and the wrapping paper began to fly. Hours and hours of carefully wrapped gifts were transformed into a giant heap of discarded paper, boxes and tissue paper in no time at all.

Now, hours later, Sofia was content playing with her new Lego set, Maia was happily snuggled with her grandmother and Daniel was napping on the couch. Callie was still feeling the after-effects of childbirth; sore and tired but not wanting to be alone upstairs in bed. Instead she curled up next to her wife on the loveseat, her eyes semi-closed as she listened to Sofia babbling and building a house. Arizona had already put a turkey in the oven, as her surprised parents looked on.

"How long have you known how to cook?" Barbara had asked warily as she watched her daughter prepare the turkey for the oven.

Arizona huffed as she pulled the aluminum foil from the box. "Mom, I've always been able to cook."

Barbara raised her eyebrows and looked at her daughter, "always?"

"Well, maybe not always," Arizona said sheepishly.

Callie listened, finding the interaction amusing. They mother and daughter bantered back and forth until Arizona finally conceded. "Okay, okay, so I didn't inherit the cooking gene from you, Mom."

"It's a good thing that Callie is such a fantastic cook," Barbara said, "or we might have had to move closer."

"Yes, thank goodness she is," Arizona joked, "I'm not sure I could handle the two of you living so close."

Now, as the wonderful smell of the turkey drifted through the house, Callie felt her eyes growing heavier. It wasn't long before she was asleep, complete with drool and snoring and Arizona marvelled at how easily her wife had passed out amongst the various sounds in the room. Sofia's little voice sang made up songs which melted her Mommy's heart. Maia had nursed prior to Callie settling down on the loveseat and was still curled up with Daniel. The TV was on and the sound was low. The entire scene was perfect to Arizona and she was content just to watch everyone.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted the calm. Sofia was the first to jump up and run to the door. She wasn't quite strong enough to disengage the deadbolt yet, much to her parents relief, but the small window next to the door was low enough for her to see through it and when she realized who was there she squealed.

"It's Uncle Derek!" Sofia exclaimed as Arizona unlocked it.

"And Auntie Meredith, Zola and Bailey," Arizona finished as the door swung open and the Shepherd family filed in. Four year old Zola marched in first, kicked off her shoes and scampered off with Sofia even before Meredith had her shoes off. Derek deposited the one year old onto the floor and he toddled off to explore.

"Merry Christmas," Meredith said to Arizona. "We would have been earlier except Bailey decided to nap for longer than he usually does."

"Because that's what kids do. Murphy's Law," Derek added.

"No worries," Arizona said as they collectively headed towards the living room. "Callie just woke up too. And dinner won't be ready for a bit."

As the Shepherd's and Arizona's parents said their hello's and caught up, Callie snuck upstairs with Maia to nurse her before returning downstairs to help Arizona with dinner. It wasn't long before everything was ready and the dining room table was set. The group filed in and took their seats. As they had done the previous year, they paused, a moment of silence swept over the table as they each got lost in their own thoughts and memories of Mark and Lexie. Arizona squeezed Callie's hand when she saw the unshed tears in her eyes, to which Callie blinked back, took a deep breath and raised her glass.

"To Mark and Lexie," Callie almost whispered, Everyone followed suit. "Merry Christmas."


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Twice The Work

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**A/N: **This will be a collection of short stories. Post 9.18. Will follow the show's canon for a while but then branch off into it's own A/U.

**CHAPTER 13**

Life with two kids was definitely more challenging than Arizona had ever expected. The birth of Sofia had been so traumatic, so full of panic and terror, that she felt as though she had no right to complain about Maia's birth. Her birth had been almost a complete opposite of Sofia's; no prematurity, no car accident, no surgeries. Practically a picture perfect delivery. Home just hours after birth.

Which was why Arizona was having such a hard time today. The first day home alone with both of her daughters. Callie had an appointment and Arizona had assured her that she would be fine with both kids on her own. Currently Sofia was throwing a tantrum because she wanted strawberries, not blueberries, despite the fact that she had specifically asked for blueberries just moments ago, and Arizona had managed to get them for her while holding onto a screaming six week old. Instinct told her that the three year old was desperately trying to get some attention; attention that her mother couldn't fully give her at the moment because her baby sister was making more noise than her.

The blonde couldn't figure out what Maia needed. She had changed her, fed her, rocked her, bounced her, burped her swaddled her and tried to get her to sleep. She dealt with children all day at work; she had no idea how she was unable to figure out what was wrong with her own child. Sofia was testing her patience and finally, she placed Maia in her crib, knowing she would be safe for a few minutes, shut the door and approached her eldest.

"Sofia," Arizona began, using her no-nonsense voice and trying desperately to ignore the cries from the nursery. "What do you need Mommy to do for you?"

Sofia stopped crying upon noticing that Maia was no longer in her mother's arms. She sniffled and took a deep breath, "where's my sister?"

"In her room for a few minutes so Mommy can hear you and help you. What do you need, honey?"

"Strawberries," Sofia stated, and then added, "please?"

Arizona nodded and took Sofia by the hand. Leading her downstairs and into the kitchen, she quickly washed and cut up a bowl of strawberries and handed them to Sofia. "Come on, you can watch a bit of Dora if you want while I try to figure out what's wrong with your silly sister, okay?" TV or videos were a rare privilege in the Robbins-Torres household and Sofia's eyes lit up as she skipped past her mother and into the family room. She hopped up on the couch and waited patiently for her mother to find the right DVD and turn the television on.

"I am going to go get Maia now and I'll be right back down," Arizona said. "And once we get Maia settled how about we play a game of Snakes and Ladders?"

"Oh, yay!" Sofia exclaimed. The DVD began and her attention was diverted to the TV.

Arizona sighed and kissed Sofia's head, "I'll be right back," she said, and headed back upstairs. She could hear Maia before she got halfway up the stairs and she did her best to hurry. Her leg was aching today, today of all days, and she struggled on the last two steps. She opened the door to the nursery and quickly scooped up her crying daughter, feeling incredibly guilty about leaving her for those few minutes, even though it had been necessary.

"Shh," Arizona whispered, holding the baby close to her. Maia's cries quieted down and Arizona walked out of the room and back downstairs. Sofia was happily munching on her strawberries and watching Dora, giggling at the screen. As Arizona eased into the rocking chair, Maia let out a huge burp and suddenly stopped crying. The baby's eyes began to droop and it was only moments before she snuggled into her mother's shoulder and fell asleep. She eased Maia out of her arms and into her bassinet and then curled up next to Sofia on the couch.

The front door opened just minutes later and Callie came into the family room. Sofia, usually one to call excitedly when one of her mother's arrived home, instead placed a finger on her lips and made a shushing noise. Callie glanced at the bassinet and then back at her daughter and wife, who were engrossed in whatever adventure Dora and Boots were on. Callie plopped herself down on the couch next to her wife and kissed her gently.

"How were they?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Arizona looked at Sofia, the bassinet and then the brunette. "They were angels. This two kid thing isn't that hard after all."


	14. Chapter 14: Back In The Game

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**A/N: **This will be a collection of short stories. Post 9.18. Will follow the show's canon for a while but then branch off into it's own A/U.

**CHAPTER 14**

Callie stood at the scrub sink after finishing a six hour surgery, her feet sore and achy, and wanting to find the nearest on call room so she could stretch out and hopefully get a few hours of sleep. She had slept horribly the night before and was at the hospital for seven that morning. It was now just past two thirty in the afternoon and she wasn't sure she was going to make it until five when she was off. She dried her hands and headed down the hall in search of an empty room. Two tries later she found one, and threw herself onto the bed, and within minutes she was asleep.

Life as a working mother of two was far more difficult than Callie had expected. She had no idea how her wife made it look so easy. The amount of perkiness and optimism spewing from Arizona on a daily basis was confusing to say the least. The blonde was definitely a morning person and had no issues waking up at any time of the morning, whether it was for the baby or for work. Callie, on the other hand, found mornings to be quite difficult. Unfortunately, mornings were when most of the world began their day, including their four year old preschooler. Sofia went to preschool from nine in the morning until lunch time, and then to the hospital daycare with her baby sister for the remainder of the day until either Callie or Arizona picked them up. In the event that both parents were stuck working, there was almost always one of their fellow surgeons available to watch the girls or at least wait with them until the babysitter was able to get to the house. It worked for the most part.

It was Arizona's ability to get both kids up, dressed, fed and out the door in record time every morning that Callie found mind boggling. The brunette felt as though she had been in a permanent daze since Maia's birth; a cloud of fogginess enveloped her on a daily basis. Arizona reassured her that it was normal; she was still nursing Maia and had cut back dramatically on the amount of coffee she was used to having while working. With both of them working again full time, meant less time spent together, and Callie wasn't happy about it.

As the door to the on call room creaked open and a crack of light spilled onto the bed, Callie groaned and rolled over. The door closed quietly, a quiet click signalling the lock was engaged and the brunette could hear that someone was in the room now with her and she couldn't help but silently curse herself for choosing a room with a bunk bed and not locking the door herself.

As Callie pulled the blanket up around her neck, she was caught off guard when a figure crawled into the bed behind her. Instantly she knew it was her wife and her annoyance disappeared as she felt a hand snake under her scrub top and rest on her stomach.

"Mmm, I seriously hope this is my wife and not some random stranger," Callie murmured as she wiggled closer.

"Hmm," Arizona pondered, her hand drifting north, fingers finding their way under a bra and cupping her wife's breast in her hand. "If this isn't your wife then I have a feeling your wife won't be very impressed with what's going to happen here."

Callie was instantly awake, the cobwebs gone. It felt as though it had been forever since they had done anything except kiss or hug, and it was almost always in the presence of a small child. Now that she actually thought about it, it *had* been forever. Working and parenting didn't leave much room for adult time, and she felt as though she'd never get back in the game so to speak. Callie turned around into Arizona and their lips met with a heated kiss.

It wasn't long before scrubs were hastily removed and underclothing wasn't far behind. What could only be described as frenzied sex was what occurred for the next twenty minutes. And when it was over Callie barely had the energy to put her scrubs back on, but Arizona insisted; you never knew when those damned pagers would go off. With a final tug at a sleeve, the brunette's eyes closed and within minutes she was asleep. Arizona watched, feeling quite smug, and soon met the same fate.


	15. Chapter 15: A Change Of Pace

**Title**: My, How Things Have Changed

**Author**: dbell99

**Pairing**: Callie/Arizona

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Changes are abound at the Robbins-Torres household.

**Disclaimer**: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

**A/N: **This will be a collection of short stories. Post 9.18. Will follow the show's canon for a while but then branch off into it's own A/U.

A/N 2: Sorry for the short chapters and the delay in updating. The summer was busy with both kids around and now that school is in I've found my free time has dwindled instead of opening up like I'd hoped. I'm starting to get into a bit more of a routine now so hopefully I can get posting more regularly again! For now, my writing is mostly limited to Friday nights, with Twitter's Friday Night Writes, so bear with me!

**CHAPTER 15**

Arizona sat on a bench in the park, her lunch forgotten, as she watched in envy as a pair of women ran past her. Wearing tight spandex running shorts and huffing as they took the steep hill, all Arizona wanted to do was join them. The freedom of a run seemed so far from her grasp, that to her it was almost unattainable. Her prosthetist, David, would scoff at her if she told him; anything could be obtained given enough hard work and the right equipment. Arizona had briefly glanced at some of the state of the art prosthetic limbs that could allow her to run, but they seemed far too daunting still.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she picked at her salad, lost in her own thoughts and oblivious to her wife approaching. Callie knew something was amiss with her wife and cautiously sat down next to her without a word.

"You're doing that thing with your lip that tells me you're thinking hard about something," Callie stated, watching Arizona worry her lower lip between her teeth.

The blonde looked up and gave Callie a slight smile, closed the container she had lost interest in, and put it next to her. "How did you find me?"

"Karev said you had an hour before your next surgery and that you said you needed some air. I took a wild guess where you'd be." This was their bench. They'd been coming here since they started dating, and lately Arizona had been spending a fair bit of time on it. "What's going through that head of yours, huh?"

"I realized today that I'm not happy with my mobility," Arizona blatantly stated. "I mean, I'm quite capable of walking and carrying Maia, and standing for long periods of time without too much of an issue, but I want more."

Another jogger darted past and Callie followed Arizona's gaze. "I think I understand," she said.

"My Dad and I used to run. I was twelve or thirteen when it started. He'd drag me out of bed at the crack of dawn and we'd run. He made it seem like I had a choice but really I didn't. Three days a week and every Sunday we'd run. Some mornings it was a slow, leisurely saunter, and we'd talk about school or what was going on in general. We had some of our best father-daughter talks during those runs. Then there were the ones that he pushed and pushed until I thought I was going to either collapse or throw up. I never did, but it felt like I was going to.

"Tim ran too, but never with us. He always said we'd hold him up," Arizona said with a slight chuckle. "I think the real reason was that he knew that was our time, just me and my Dad." She paused before she continued. "Then I finished high school and went off to college, and I remember feeling so free; not only from the confines of my parents' house, but from those damned runs. I mean, I missed having the time alone with my Dad, but it was just wonderful not being woken up by a drill sergeant at 6am.

"But you know what? After a couple of weeks I began to miss it. I felt off, like something wasn't quite right. I couldn't figure it out right away, but then one morning I woke early and the way the sun was coming in through my window I realized that it was the running that I missed. I dug out a pair of sneakers and went out on my own that same morning. Three mornings a week and every Sunday, I faithfully ran; no longer because I had to but because I wanted to.

"I've been feeling off lately," Arizona confessed. "It took me a lot longer to figure out why this time. I guess with everything that's happened in the last while, I haven't had time to feel off. I came out here today and there was something about the light and the breeze, and all of a sudden it hit me. I realized what was missing. The trouble is I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get it back."

Callie was speechless. Arizona had been better at expressing her feelings and emotions since after the plane crash, but this was unexpected. To receive such a deep reply to a quick question was almost unheard of. She reached over and took her wife's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"It's daunting, isn't it?"

Arizona nodded, "I'm not even sure that daunting is the right word to describe how I feel. I mean, I know that you know what it would take for me to run. I know that you'd be there to help, and that David would be there, but I'm angry that it isn't something that I can just decide to do and do it. In the past, I've just resolved that I want to do something and I do it. It just doesn't seem that simple anymore."

"You can still just decide to do it Arizona," Callie said carefully, "it just won't be as quick as you'd like it to be, which, I would think, that the real issue is."

Arizona rolled her eyes, "yes, you're right, but do you always have to be right?"

Callie smiled and moved in closer to her wife, wrapping her arm around the blonde. "How about if we go and talk to David together? We can come up with some sort of plan and make it seem less overwhelming."

"You make it sound so easy," Arizona stated, placing her hand on her wife's leg and giving it a squeeze. "I'm absolutely petrified of the learning curve again Callie."

"I know you are, and I know it won't be easy. I'll be there with you this time though, if you'll let me." It still saddened Callie to know that her wife hadn't allowed her to help when she went through the process of learning to walk on the prosthetic the first time.

Arizona didn't say anything, but a reassuring squeeze to Callie's leg meant that she was considering it, and that's all Callie needed.


End file.
